Blacking machine



Oct; 31, l1933.

' F.' CAVANAUGH BLACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. l2, 1931 Parenteel dei. 31', i933 entre f g razas Perini* )Fics signor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N.AJ., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 12,

y Y 11 Claims.

This invention relatesvto machines for applying nishing material, such as stain and blacking, to the peripheral portions of shoe parts such as heels. Y Y

Machines of the type disclosed in 'United States Letters Patent No. 1,750,115, granted May 27, i930 on application of Herbert L. Chapin, are in successful use to apply blacliing or other finishing materials to the peripheral portions of heels attached to shoes. In machines of this type, blacking is applied to the inwardly extending marginal surface ofthe heel in the rand crease, as well as to the peripheral portion of the heel, and the Ycoating of the rand crease is accomplished by a rotatable disk which enters the rand crease and is supplied with shoe blacking by overlapping a rotatable feeding member. It should be noted that a proper quantity of blacking must be fed to the rotatable applying disk to secure an even coating of blacling on the marginal surface of the heel in the rand crease. Proper control of the quantity supplied has been effected by the use of a feed-controlling member which co-operates with the lateral face of -a rotatable blackingfeeding member adjacent to the periphery, this being the portion which is overlapped by the randcrease disk. It is desired that ,there shall always be some blacking uponr this face of the feeding member for delivery to the rand-crease diskl and hence it is not intended that the controlling member shall come into actual contact with the feeding member. In practice, however, it is found that because `of too close adjustmentl by careless operators or, because the feeding member does not run true, there is apt to bea distinct wearing away of the co-operating surface of .the feedcontrolling member and a burr or projection will vbe formed on the feed-controlling member, and effective control of the quantity of blacking to be supplied to an applying member from f,

the feeding member will not be maintained. If this projection becomes suiiiciently prominent, it sometimes causes trouble by contacting with another scraper upon the opposite side of the blacking feeding member. f

In View of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a machine having a feedcontrolling member which will be so arranged with respect to a feeding member for coating material, such as blacking, as to insure against the formation-of a burr or projection on the feed-controlling member whereby the feed-controlling member may beadjusted to control more effectively the quantity of blacliing to be supplied to an applying member.

1931.` serial No. 508,061 (ci. 12-31) To this end, one feature of the invention consists in a coating machine having a rotatable feeding disk and a feed-controlling member having 'a portion co-operating with the feeding. surface 0f the disk and extending only to the periphery of the disk, which prevents the formation of a burr or projection on the feed-controlling member. inthe machine illustrating one embodiment of the invention, a feed-controlling member or scraper has a portion which cylindrical in shape, the substantially flat side of the semi-cylindrical portion being curved to conform to the curvature of the periphery .of the rotary feeding disk.

In the use of machines of the type referred to, blacking is applied to the periphery of the heel of a shoe by means of a rotary brush to which blacking is supplied from a drum-like feeding member by a comb-like transferring device which acts also to straighten any bent-over bristles of the brush which may have become bent or matted by contact with the work. f

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a still further improved blacking-transfer- .ring devicev which will veven more effectively straighten the bristles of a rotary applying brush as well as satisfactorily transfer the blacking from a blacking-feeding drum to the brush.

To Ythis end and in accordance with another feature of the invention, the illustrated blacking 35 machine is provided with an improved rotatable comb for transferring vblacking to a brush and for straightening the` bristles of the brush, the comb comprisinga yplurality of plates each of which has a projection for cooperation with a feed member, the entering edge of each plate being substantially straight and the rear or following edge being eccentrically curved and merging with the periphery of the hubA portion, the eccentrically curved edge being so formed that the following edge of each -plate contacts with the endsof the bristles at an angle and deflects rather than pushes against these ends, thus avoiding any tendency to mat vthe brush. f v

These and other features of the invention will now be set forth in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which f 'l h'Fig l is a perspective View, partly broken away, of the head of a blacking machine Ain whichthe present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly in section, showing the relation of the feed-controlling member to the lateral flange on the feeding drum;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the feedcontrolling member; and 11u is substantially semi- 65 Iii) Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail View of one of the plates of the comb.

The illustrated machine, which is of the type shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, is adapted to apply blacking to the leather heel base of a shoe by means of a rotary brush 10. Blacking is also applied to the inwardly extending marginal portion of the heel adjacent to the rand crease by a rand crease disk 11. The brush is mounted for rotation in a bearing l2 formed ina hollow frame 14. Elacking is supplied to the rand crease disk by a projecting flange 16 upon a cylindrical drum 18 Which dips in a receptacle (not shown) partially filled vvith blacking or other finishing material. Blacking is transferred from the cylindrical surface of the drum 18 by a combined blacking-transferring and straightening comb 20 which is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the brush and at a different speed. As in machines of the type disclosed in the Letters Patent referred to, the drum 18, the comb 20, and the blacking-applying brush 10 have driving engagement with a Worm (not shown) and are rotated at different speeds by gearing.

As the drum 18 rotates in the blacking receptacle, it picks up a quantity of blacking Which is not constant but `Varies with the depth of blacking in the receptacle, the temperature, and the consistency of the blacking. It is desirable, therefore, to control the quantity of blacking on certain surfaces of the drum prior to its transfer to the applying members. 1t is also desirable to scrape completely the blacking from other surfaces of the drum to prevent the accumulation of dried blacking thereon which wouldA other- Wise result. The right-hand open side of the drum 18 is provided with a flange 22 (Fig. 2) which nearly closes the opening and prevents the admission of bl 4cking to the interior of the drum. The left sideof the drum i3 provided with a beveled face 24 from which blackingV is removed. A stripping scraper 26 (Figs. 2 and 3), having a broad face for engagement with a Wide extent of the beveled surface 24 completely to clean surplus blacking fromv an annular area Within the margin of this beveled surface and to prevent its drying and building up, is mounted upon an arm 28 held by means of a set-screw 30 on'a sleeve 32 which passes through an opening in the frame 14 and is heldin position therein by means of a set-screw 3a. This sleeve furnishes a bearing for a plunger 36 upon the right end' of Which is mounted a substantially semi-cylindrical edge scraper or feed-controlling member 38 by means of which it is possible to control the amount of blacking picked up by the outer annular margin of the surface 24 for delivery to a rand crease disk which overlaps said margin at a point above the scraper 38 and receives blacking therefrom. The plunger 36 is normally pressed toward the surface 24 of the drum by means of a spring e6 interposed between a collar 42, on a reduced extension of the sleeve 32, and a` pin A passing through a slot in the sleeve into the plunger 36. The outer end of the plunger 36 is threaded for engagement in a knurled nut 46 resting against the end of the sleeve 32 and by means of which the operator can adjust the position of the scraper of the controlling member 38 With respect to the surface 24. When the operator Wishes to adjust 'the scraper 38, which, With its supporting plunger 36, constitutes a rodlike member, he` firstv loosens the nut i6 to allow the spring 40 to push the scraper 38 into engagement With the beveled surface 9.4 nf the drum and then tightens the nut to draw back the feed-controlling member 38 the desired amount to permit the transfer of a proper supply of the blacking to the rand crease disk. As Will be noted by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the scraper 26 is so mounted that it slightly underlies the feed-controlling member 38 thus preventing the formation of a dried ring of blacking between the surfaces treated by the Scrapers 26 and 38.

The feed-controlling'member 38 is substantially semi-cylindrical inshape and is secured to the plunger 36 by means of a set-screw 48 which holdsY the member 38 with its portion 56 coinciding with the outer edge of therlange 16. The edge of the member 38 is curved to conform to the curvature of the periphery of the flange 16. In other Words, the face or edge 56 of the member 88 is given a curvature which makes it coincide with the curvature of the periphery of the iiange 16 of the drum 18 so that there is no danger that the member 33 will overlap the flange 16 and produce a burr upon the scraper of the feedcontrolling member k38. The semi-cylindrical shape of the member 38 is advantageous in carrying away the surplus `slacking and prevents bubbling or splattering, and the flow of blacking removed by the member 38 is in an even stream.

Other Scrapers are provided which remove the surplus blacking from other surfaces of the drum 18. The blacking is entirely removed from Vthe right-hand surface of the projecting flange 16 by means of a scraper 52 which is mounted on one end or' aplunger 54 and is normally urged toward the surface of lthe flange by means of a spring 56. The end of the scraper 52 is cut back at 53 and shaped to conform to the curvature of the periphery of the flange 16 of the drum 18 so that, as the end of the scraper wears down, there will be no portionof the scraper 52 which projects beyond the periphery of the flange and interferes with the proper operation of the feedcontrolling member 38. Thus, although it is not intended that the feed controlling member 38 or the scraper 52 shall be allowed to bear againstthe flange 16 with suflicient force to cause a Wearing away of either of these members, it is nevertheless found in practice that operators are apt to be careless about their adjustment of these members, and, if either one of them did extend beyond the periphery of the flange 16, its body might be Worn away to a point where a projection would be formed which would come in contact With the opposite scraper member and prevent proper cooperation of that member with the flange 16. Such a result is avoided in the illustrated construction. is a scraper 58 which is in the form of a flattened pin which engages the flange 22 ofthe drum to remove blacking therefrom. The scraper 58 is urged toward the flange 22 by the spring 56 which also acts, as above stated, to urge the scraper 52 toward the right-hand surface of the ange 16. It is essential to control the quantity of blacking which is picked up from the cylindrical surface of l the drum 18 by the comb 20. There provided,

accordingly., a scraper surface 59 on the scraper 52 which may be adjusted to control the amount of blacking on the cylindrical surface of the drum. The application of blacking to the base of a heel below the rand crease is effected, as previously pointed out, by a rotary brush 10 which mounted for rotation about a stud 60. The brush 10 is adjustably mounted in the machine relatively to the rand crease disk and the comb 2G and` is also Mounted on the scraper 52 mounted to facilitate the easy application of brushes to the' supporting sleeve and their removal therefrom as will be apparent by reference to the Letters Patent above referred to.

The transfer of blacking from the drum 18 to the applying brush 10 is effected by the rotary comb 20 which is builtv up on a hub member or holder attached to a stub shaft 64 by means of a nut 62. The shaft 64 is journaled in an eccentric'bushing and is held therein by means of a combined collar and pinion 66 which is pinned to the shaft. The rotary comb 20 comprises a series of plate sections 68 each of which has a hub portion *'10 provided with a plurality of keyways 72. The plates 68 are also provided with an outwardlyextending portion 74 the outer end of which is in the form of sharp projections which pick up blacking from the cylindrical portion of the drum 18 and transfer it to the brush 10. The leading edge of each plate 68 is straight and non-radial with respect to the axis about which the comb rotates. The edge of each plate 68 adjacent to the leading edge is concentric with the axis of the comb for a short distance and then merges along a gradual curve with the following edge. The following edge 76 of the plate is eccentrically curved with respect to the axisfof rotation of the comb and merges with the periphery of the hubv portion of the plate. twill be noted that the following edge 76 of the plate and the concentric edge merging therewith meet the straight leading edge to form a point so that there is no heel or edge which will push against the ends of the bristles of the brush 10 and thus tend to mat the brush. Instead, the receding, gradually curved following edge '76 will enter the brush with only a slight deflection of the bristles and there will be no abrupt corner which will tend to move radially against the `ends of the bristles during the meshing of the comb with the brush and thereby be likely to break down and mat the bristles. The

rotary comb 20 is assembled by placing successive plates 68 in staggered relation tothe hub 62 so that identical points on the plates are helically arranged -around the hub, thus rendering the combing action more effective because the point of contact of successive plates is carried across the brush. This is accomplished, as in the machine disclosed in the Letters Patent referred to above, by mounting each plate on the hub so that the .keyway which co-operates with the key is the next succeeding one to the keyway which was associated with the key in case of the preceding plate. The plates `are then clamped on the hub by threaded collars such as the nut 62, and the position of the comb as a Whole may be adjusted axially parallel to the axis of ythe brush by adjusting the clamping collars.

The comb 20 is supported in an eccentric bushing iny a sub-casing 77. The position of the comb 20 may be adjusted relatively to the brush by means of an adjusting stop screw 78, as in the above-mentioned Letters Patent. The rotation of the comb 20 is effected by a train of gears 80 and adjustment of the sub-casing 77 does not disturb the meshing relation of the gears with a driving gear 82, nor does it disturb the relation of the end portion 74 of the comb 20 to the drum 18.

It may be desired to vary the relation of the end portion 74 of the comb 2O to the cylindrical surface of the drum 18 to control the quantity of blacking transferred by the comb and, as in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, the eccentric is provided with a slotted .lug 84 which may be turned slightly, as in assembling the machine, to

secure the change of a few thousandths of an inch necessary to get the end portions 74 in just the desired relation to the cylindrical surface of the drum 18. f

Having thus described the invention, what I claimA as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States iszl 1. In a blacking machina'feeding means including a rotatable disk, and a feed-controlling member movable substantially'normally to the surface to be controlled and having a controlling surface co-operating with the feeding surface of the disk and located wholly within the periphery thereof.

2. In a blacking machine, feeding means including a rotatable disk, a rotatable applying disk overlapping the peripheral margin of the lateral face of said rotatable feeding disk, and a feedcontrolling member movable toward and away rfrom said feeding disk and having an end portion co-operating with the overlapping marginal feeding surface of the disk and shaped at one edge to coincide with the periphery of the disk..

3. In a blacking machine, feeding means including a rotatable disk, and a feed-controlling 100 member having a substantially semi-cylindrical portion co-operating with the disk, the substantially flat side of the semi-cylindrical portion being curved to conform to the curvature of the periphery of the rotatable disk.

4. In a blacking machine, a rotatable member having a surface for feeding blacking to an applying member, and an elongated scraper adjustable endwise toward and away from the feeding surface and having a surface for co-operation with said feeding surface to control the thickness of the blacking on said surface, said feed-controlling end surface extending only to the outer edge of the feeding surface on the feeding member in all positions of adjustment of said scraper.

5. In a blacking machine, a feed member having an outwardly extending flange for feeding blacking to an applying member, and a feed-controlling member having a portion co-operating with the feeding member and being substantially semi-cylindrical, one edge of said portion conforming in curvature to the curvature of the periphery of the member whereby all of said co-operating portion is located within the periphery of the feeding member.

v 6. Ina blacking machine, a rotary feed member having a projecting ange, and Scrapers springurged toward opposite sides of said flange to control the quantity of blacking transferred by the annular areas closely adjacent to the edges of the flange, said Scrapers being positioned in substantial alinement with one another with a portion of each scraper substantially flush with the edge of the flange.

7. In Aa blacking machine, blacking-feeding means comprising a rotatable disk adapted to pick up blacking an overlapping applying member, and means for controlling the quantity of blacking upon a lateral y surface of said disk along the margin thereof comprising a rod having a substantially semi-circular end positioned closely adjacent to the lateral surface of the disk, one side of said end being flush with the edge of the disk so that no portion of said end projects beyond the edge of the disk.

8. In a blacking machine, blacking-feeding means includinga rotatable disk and means for controlling the quantity of blacking transferred from a lateral surface of said disk comprising a 15() feed-controlling end 110 from a receptacle and transfer it toV par Cit

rod-like feed-controlling member positioned with its axis in angular relation to said surface and with its end adjacent thereto to control the Inargin of said surface, the end of said member having a curvedl edge substantially lush With the edge of the disk and its end Wholly Within the circumference of said disk. l

9. In a blacking machine, a rotatable blackingapplying brush, and a rotatable comb for transferring blacking to the brush and for straightening the bristles of the brush, said comb comprising a plurality of plates having substantially straight entering edges 'and following edges curved throughout their lengths eccentrically to the axis of rotation of the comb, the outer ends of'said edges together forming projections constructed and arranged to pick up blacking from a blacking-feeding member..

1G. In a hlacking machine, a rotatable applying brush, a supply cylinder, and a rotatable comb for lstraightening the bristles of the applying brush and transferring blacking thereto from the cylinder, said comb comprising a plurality of plates supported upon a shaft', said plates having hub portions and projecting portions, said projecting portions having straight entering edges and following edges curved throughout their lengths eccentrically tothe axis of rotation of the` comb Well Within the circumferences described by the ends of said plates.

1l. In a blacking machine, adriven, rotatable applying brush, a supply cylinder, and a rotatable comb for straightening the bristles of the blacking-applying brush and transferring blacking thereto from the cylinder, said comb comprising a plurality of plates, each of said plates having a hub portion perforated toreceive a shaft anda projecting portion having an end for picking up blacking from a supply cylinder, said portion having a straight entering edge set back from a radius between the end of the plate and the axis of the shaft and a curved following edge describing a gradual curve from the end to the hub portion andpositioned Well Within the circumference described by the end of the plate. l

JOHN F. CAVANAUGH. 

